Accelerating Solvent Evaporation Rate Determination with a Science-Based Tool
Last update on Jun 3, 2019
When selecting a solvent, we must attend to its solubility characteristics as defined by Hansen Solubility Parameters, to its cost, its green credentials, its odor and its toxicity. But even if we have all these factors right, the solvent might be too volatile or too involatile for our purposes. So, for every solvent, we need to know about its vapor phase characteristics.
Scientifically, we need to know only two:
- Its vapor pressure at any given temperature, and
- Its flash point - the temperature at which the vapor can, in principle, burn when ignited by a spark
The flash point is, in general, a fact about a solvent and has to be found by measurement. It is of significance to a formulator because the safety restrictions on a flammable liquid (flash point < 37.8°C) are much more stringent than those of a combustible liquid (37.8° < flash point < 93.3°C) which are more stringent than a solvent with a flash point greater than 93.3°C.